Air And Marine Ops Unit Surveilled Suspect During Chase

The Air and Marine Operations, or AMO, unit of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection partnered with the U.S. Border Patrol to collar a fleeing suspected human smuggler and the two illegal aliens waiting to be picked up by the smuggling driver.

AMO agents from the El Paso Air Branch were conducting overwatch in an AS350/H125 A-Star helo and observed a human smuggler fail to yield and attempted to flee Border Patrol agents from Ysleta Border Patrol Station’s Anti-Smuggling Unit and Tigua Tribal Police in El Paso, Texas.

The Border Patrol agents had picked up the two illegal aliens at 8 am as they awaited the driver near Socorro Road in Socorro, Texas,  south of El Paso.

Border Patrol and Tigua Police monitored the area after the pickup and subsequently saw a red Nissan Altima come to a stop in the same area. When Tigua Police tried to performa a vehicle stop on the Altima, the driver failed to yield and fled at high speed.

The AMO helicopter crew maintained visual contact with the vehicle and relayed its direction of travel and situational awareness to the agents on the ground. They also suggested the ground agents pull back from close pursuit due to erratic driving of the Altima and relaying that they had clear visual of the vehicle.

After visually following the vehicle for nearly 30 minutes, the vehicle came to a stop and the driver the fled on foot. The helo’s aircrew advised the agents on the ground where the driver was hiding. After apprehending him, the driver admitted he was in the area to pick up and transport illegal aliens.

A check of the driver’s record revealed a charge from January for shooting at or from a vehicle-conspiracy resulting in death. The driver is a U.S. citizen who was then charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

FMI:  www.cbp.gov/